Concept-Mapping: A Pragmatic Approach To Teaching Of Social Studies For Citizenship Education In Nigeria

Abstract

Science technology has brought to education many valuable new instruments of learning and teaching of which considerable emphasis is being placed on the importance of the visual approach to teaching. This development has made teachers all over the world to integrate the use of Information and Communication Technology and Concept mapping instructional strategies in an effort to aid and effect studentcentred learning. Several research in education show the efficacy of these new teaching strategies. This paper is an opinion as a contribution towards innovative teaching techniques in Social Studies for Citizenship Education.This paper is devoted to concept-mapping as strategy for effective teaching and learning in Social Studies for Citizenship education. This was done by clarifying the concept of Social Studies, Citizenship Education, Concept mapping, importance of concept mapping, steps in using Concept Mapping in the Social Studies classroom and practical examples of concept maps derived from the Citizenship Education topics domiciled in Social Studies. After a critical review of empirical evidences among scholars it was concluded that, in professional education this method should be used in the subject fields which are either directly connected to natural or exact sciences or the social sciencesSocial Studies inclusive. It was also recommended among others that Concept mapping should be adopted with other practical teaching methods in Social Studies in order to achieve the objective of Citizenship Education domiciled in Social Studies.